Tales of Vesperia: Red Alert
by Piece of Peace
Summary: When Alexei is nearly assassinated, it's up to Red Guard Flynn Scifo to either apprehend or kill the culprit, embarking on a journey that tests his loyalty to the seemingly honest&benevolent Communist Party. Can he keep his faith while on the job? R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

It was morning and yet another sunny, beautiful day in Zaphias, the capital of the People's Republic, a large, peaceful country in Terca Lumireis. There, the workers, farmers, intellectuals all lived in harmony under the guidance of the Communist Party, which was responsible for the country's wise and benevolent government. It worked ever industriously to preserve and strengthen the socialist roots of society that grew into prosperity for everyone, regardless of walk in life.

It was here in Zaphias, Flynn Scifo, a young member of the Red Guard, was born, lived, and was stationed at. The Red Guard was a body of chivalrous soldiers whose duty was to serve and protect the people of the People's Republic in both times of peace and war. As a Red Guard, Flynn was required to diligently study swordsmanship, though secondary emphasis was placed on literature history as extracurricular activities.

Flynn strolled through the Lower Quarter of the city dressed in his polished blue and white armor where on the chest plate, an insignia of a simple red star hung. Here in the Lower Quarter, where he grew up, people were hard-working, honest, and kind. They didn't have much in terms of materiality, but their feeling of proletariat solidarity that kept them together as a viable community, and in that, Flynn saw a pleasant beauty and was very proud of belonging to such a group.

"Good morning, Flynn!" Hanks, the chairman of the Lower Quarter's People's Committee, an old man in his sixties, greeted him as walked by his house. As the local chairman, it was Hanks' responsibility to host and organize meetings concerning the people of the Lower Quarter which brought up topics including management of consumer and agricultural goods. Although the Lower Quarter didn't have much to go around, its denizens did their best to fairly share the modest supply of goods among themselves.

"Good morning, Hanks" Flynn returned with a smile and bowed with an arm crossed over his chest.

"Where are you off to, this morning?" Hanks asked.

"To the Great Hall of the People, Hanks. There's going to be a speech delivered by Commissar Alexei, this morning to congratulate and thank all of our services" Flynn explained. After chatting briefly, he bid Hank farewell and continued on.

He walked out of the Lower Quarter and to Star Square. In the center of the square was the iconic monument of a pristinely white marble tower. At its top, stood the ruby red jeweled star that gleamed so nicely against the daylight. Proudly up in the air, it was a symbol of the people's revolutionary spirit within their hearts.

There were other Red Guards assembling into their respective units. Flynn hurried over to his unit in the Schwann Brigade. His immediate commanding officer was Lieutenant Sodia, Captain Schwan's second-in-command. She was a strict, no nonsense woman who demanded nothing but the best from those under her command to ensure they performed their best in service to the people.

"Flynn, what took you so long?" Lt. Sodia questioned him, her eyes keen as if to look straight into him and see the truth behind it all, regardless of what he would say.

"Forgive me, Comrade Lieutenant. I was only trying to help keep myself calm by taking things slowly, yet timely this morning" Flynn replied, and for the second time today, bowed with a folded arm across his chest.

Because she didn't say anything else, Flynn assumed his response was grudgingly acceptable. Flynn and his fellow Red Guards got in a single-file horizontal line with the Lieutenant in front. For one of the first times, Flynn got to see his brigade's commanding officer, Captain Schwann, right in front of the Lieutenant. He was tan skinned man with unruly long hair braided at the back. He didn't know much about him other than circulating talk among the Red Guards that he was an easygoing, yet responsibly suited man and the most distinctive about him was his relaxed sense of humor. All the brigades were identically lined up like the Schwann Brigade, side by side.

All the brigades walked in their horizontal lines and side by side through Star Square. There were many townsfolk in the background who, as an audience, watched them. Although not a parade, everyone, knowing it was their duty to serve the people, still made every effort to demonstrate fine professionalism expected of them as they marched through the square and into the Great Hall of the People via the front gates.

They were now in the Great Hall. All the brigades were lined up and grouped with two brigades in front with another brigade in back of both. In front of them all was a set of stairs that led up to the path to the Palace of the People, a magnificently designed and constructed building to honor all the people and their devoted contribution to a harmonious, socialist society. It was where the Supreme Presidium of the People met to discuss how to create laws, pursue economic policy, and equally important, set goals for the Red Guard to follow. At the top of the stairs, was a dais. And there, Commissar Alexei appeared.

He was the very well respected head of the Red Guard and for many, an exemplary embodiment of duty, valor, and diligence. He was renowned as an outstandingly superb swordsman and his years of experience of service added to his character in being inspirational, compassionate, and organized. It was no surprise those qualities won him a seat on the Politburo, the Communist Party's wise executive-level body, as well as the Star of Socialist Merit medal. Comrade Alexei was a man who stood up tall and dignified and appeared to be in his mid forties and had neatly combed back-length silvery white hair. As always, the commissar wore his symbolized red armor and black cape.

He spoke to everyone before him. Although Flynn was located to the far right from his view from the commissar, he stood upright and gave his full, undivided attention.

"All of you, selfless and dutiful servants and protectors to the people of our great republic" Alexei began.

"I have come here today to personally congratulate all of you for your continued excellence in helping others live their everyday lives as you provide the people with security in the countryside, helping hands in times of natural disaster, and when times call for it, their prompt and effective defense from aggression. And not to mention by simply letting the people know there are caring soldiers there for them by being around. Always have, always are, and always will be."

"Furthermore, I also would like to-"

An arrow suddenly appeared and shot through Alexei's armor to everyone's surprise.

Reacting quickly with adrenaline rushing through his veins, Flynn turned over to the right where he caught a glimpse of dark robed figure with a bow just by the gated perimeter of the Hall. In the ensuing instability of the situation, Flynn dashed as fast as he could to the assassin. Of course, the assassin was trying to run away as fast as possible too, but he was still within Flynn's sight. He jumped over the gate and did his best so that he could lock down on his target. Flynn didn't care that he had to bump into people or their stands in Star Square. He just charged through. The assassin didn't seem to have any trouble as he sped along the square and now street. Flynn managed to keep up, though just barely and he really was running out of breath. Finally, the robed assassin decided to stop when it was just the two of them alone in a neighborhood. The mysterious figure took out a short sword and without warning, dashed over to attack him. Luckily, Flynn unsheathed his own sword just in time to parry the strike and then attempted to slash back several times, but sloppily and to no avail. The assassin easily dodged and blocked his swings and strikes. As if to humiliate Flynn, the assassin proceeded to attack him with his hands. Straight and flat, the assassin's hands chopped down on his arms and then legs. Flynn was stunned with pain and just couldn't believe it.

And then the last thing he could remember was a kick to the face.

Nothing but blackness followed.

_

Flynn awoke to the sound of a familiar voice of a woman and saw he was in bed, most likely a barrack somewhere.

And standing to the side from his bed was none other than Lt. Sodia.

"It's about time, Flynn. You've got a lot to answer for" she said and looked as though she were stressed out from business.

Just then, the door opened and Captain Schwann entered.

"Hey, how're you doing, kid?" he asked.

"Captain? W-what happened?" Flynn said after making sure to salute to him.

"If you remember correctly, the commissar was shot by an assassin, this morning. But no one knows how he's doing at the moment. You spotted him, didn't you? Can you tell us what happened?" the lieutenant said. It was the first time Flynn saw her show any slight touch of softness.

"Yes, it was a dark robed figure. I couldn't get a clear look and it all happened so fast… It's my fault he got away…" Flynn answered apologetically and looked down.

"Damn right you are!" Lt. Sodia said, now back to her normal self. "Do you know we've received reports of you running around the city crashing into people and making a mess? You're a disgrace to the Red Guards" she stated.

Flynn could only apologize even more.

"Easy now, lieutenant. The boy's had a rough day and everyone makes mistakes" Captain Schwann said.

"Anyway, I just went to see the commissar myself. He's alive and they say there's a good chance he'll recover eventually. Thank goodness that arrow wasn't dipped with poison. And the reason I've come is to tell you that the commissar wants you to come see him."

Flynn couldn't refuse. Commissar Alexei was such a respectable man and it would be an honor to get to meet him. The captain told him it wasn't necessary to dress up in his armor, especially now, so Flynn wore the trousers and shirt he was already wearing. From the looks of it, Flynn was still at the Great Hall. Or rather, inside the Palace of the People. Through the window of the palatial surroundings, he could still see the tower standing at Star Square. Come to think of it, he'd never set foot inside the Great Hall as entering required demonstration of exemplary service to the Republic or if not that, invitation from the Politburo or even more luckily, the president.

There was a Guard in front of the door leading to the commissar's room. He was dressed in similar red armor to the commissar, though it bore no insignia. The commissar had a special elite brigade called the Special Guards at his command who were known to be among the finest and most disciplined of the Red Guards and had a reputation for great swordsmanship and battle-readiness.

"You, state your business" the Special Guard said.

"My name is Flynn Scifo of the Schwann Brigade. I believe Commissar Alexei would like to see me."

"Very well, proceed."

Flynn entered the room and saw the commissar lying in a bed, his chest and body wrapped in bandages. Though he was sorry to see him in such a state, he didn't forget to bow humbly.

"Thank you for coming, Flynn isn't it? I must ask you something" Commissar Alexei said.

"Please Comrade Commissar, speak and I will listen."

"Flynn, you're the only one who got a look at the assassin. Is there anything you can tell me?"

Regretfully, there wasn't much to say.

"The assassin escaped due to my failure of apprehending him. I was close, but you see, commissar, my skill with the blade is…less than acceptable. I can only offer my sincerest apologies" Flynn said a little painfully. If only he'd been a better swordsman, then maybe…

"Don't blame yourself for this. You only did what you could. With time, I know you can become a better Guard. Have patience. Believe in yourself. Trust others around you. Always know even the most ordinary of people can perform the most extraordinary of things if they can do those" Alexei said to him wisely. "Anyway, now is the perfect time for you to begin your trial" he continued.

"Trial?"

"Yes, I'm requesting you go on a task to find out who committed this act of cowardice and why. If possible, arrest him, but don't hesitate to kill him if you deem it necessary" he explained. "Do you accept?"

Flynn thought for a good minute. This was the time when the people needed answers and justice. As a Red Guard, it would be his duty to bring them truth. And furthermore, he had to go on a journey of self-discovery and prove to himself he was worthy of serving his country.

Flynn's bold eyes met Alexei.

"Yes, Commissar Alexei, I do."

_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Commissar Alexei decreed that Captain Schwann and Lt. Sodia accompany Flynn on his journey to provide support and guidance.

Shortly after Flynn recovered from his fiasco of a battle with the mysterious assassin, the trio set out on a mission to learn the identity of the culprit and arrest him. It was dusk now and the three were now in Halure, an agricultural city known for its famous trees, just north of the capital of Zaphias. During the blossoming season, its greatest tree, the one overlooking the whole city atop a hill in its center, would have leaves fully grown and pink in color. They would fall down like snow and cover the city and whenever that happened, the inhabitants of Halure gathered in joyous celebration of excellent harvests. Halure was responsible for raising crops to feed many people across the People's Republic, and it was a job its denizens were happily proud of and took seriously.

The captain, lieutenant, and Flynn were walking down the road leading to Halure which was just a short distance away. The three saw how farmers were hard at work gathering crops and making sure their fields weren't overlooked where Flynn even saw children, content with themselves, helping their parents to harvest. He admired their young sense of service to their community. The farmers also waved hello to them as they walked because the Red Guard was fondly known for always coming to the aid of the people and never abandoning their duty.

The first thing they did once arriving in town was checking into the inn named Denebola. Like some of the buildings in Halure, the inn was made out of a large, well-shaped tree that served fine as an inn as all the space and room was simply carved in. It was also pretty cool that all Capt. Schwann had to do was show identification to the clerk and they got to stay free of charge.

They soon went to their room.

"Ok, you two. What we're gonna do now is scout around town for clues about our little fugitive. I have a hunch he at least passed by here while running away since, after all, this is a major city. If he's still here, it might be a good place to get lost" Captain Schwann said to his two subordinate comrades. He was now dressed in a loose, purple and magenta robe and from the look of it, allowed for easy, unrestrained movement. Flynn immediately guessed the captain's specialty: reconnaissance.

"Sodia and Flynn, you stay together and walk around town and see if there's anyone suspicious. Remember as Red Guards, you have authority to act on the people's behalf. Think clearly and do what you must."

"Yes, captain!" said Sodia and Flynn at the same time.

…_On the people's behalf…_

…_Think clearly and do what you must…_

The words stuck in Flynn's mind.

_

The park.

There had to be something about the park, Sodia said.

She and Flynn walked together along the trees and bushes trying to stay hidden and to see if there was anyone walking around at dark. Luckily, they were wearing soft, leather boots so they could silently without any potential suspects or bystanders hearing them.

Flynn, every moment or two, decided to take note of the way Lt. Sodia acted. It was as he expected, totally focused on the objective and alert for anything that might happen. He did his best to stay focused and listened closely for anything.

Then after a few minutes, Flynn saw a shady man dressed in black appear next to the bench. And then a moment later, a similarly dressed guy came.

Flynn alerted Sodia and two observed their prospective suspects whispering to each other.

"The boss said it was a failure, Alexei's still alive. Mission abort" said one.

"Damnit! Just when we put so much into preparation!…"

The mention of Alexei's name made Flynn's blood boil, but seeing Sodia wait a bit more caused to follow.

"We gotta pull out and head back for base, along with our equipment" the shady guy first to appear said.

Sodia tapped his shoulder and gave him the look.

Now was the time.

"Hold it right there!" Sodia said to the suspects, now showing herself along with Flynn. Both their swords were unsheathed and ready to strike.

"You are hereby under arrest for making an attempt on the life of Commissar Alexei and taking action against the state" Flynn added.

And of course, the first thing they did was try to run.

"Flynn, after him!" Sodia said as she chased one of them.

Flynn ran as fast as he could. The shady guy was really fast. He had to do something quick because he knew he wouldn't be able to outrun him. Flynn took his sword hilt and flung it to the fleeing suspect. It hit him in the back and caused him to fall over. And Flynn jumped on him to restrain him. But the shady guy was athletic and physically fit and had no problem kicking Flynn away. There was a ripping sound made as Flynn held on to the guy's scarf.

Before he knew it, the shady guy just disappeared off into the night.

Before long, Sodia and Schwann, who just appeared, came over to see if he was alright.

"Flynn, are you ok?" the captain asked.

"I'm fine. Did you get the other guy?"

The lieutenant almost hesitated to answer.

"No, the captain and I both failed to stop him" Sodia said.

"…Arghh… I failed…again…" was all he could say, again feeling guilty for what happened, though he felt it in his heart to feel sorry for Lt. Sodia and Capt. Schwann.

But the piece of the torn scarf caught the captain's attention.

"Let me see this" Capt. Schwann said. His eyes observed it and he seemed to get a feeling for something, though neither Sodia nor Flynn understood what details caught his eyes.

"This scarf…" Schwann began. "This scarf is made from expensive cloth… that can mean only one thing… Dahngrest."

_

The next morning, the townsfolk offered to treat the three Red Guards to their freshly made local dishes as a sign of thankfully goodwill appreciation of their service. They agreed and were eating outside on a table in the delightfully bight, warm morning. It was nice to see the pink leaves falling down to add to the peacefulness of their stay. And Flynn was loving the sweet, cream-whipped lemon raspberry cake, nectarous fruit punch juice, and the spicy cheese and beef sub packed with onions and tomatoes. But still, he couldn't help but think about last night and how he wasn't able to arrest the shady guy he was after.

"Mmmm-mmm! This stuff sure is good!" Capt. Schwann said eating. He took his time to try out everything on the table and carefully eat it all, making sure to be considerate of Halure's townsfolk's hospitality. But eventually, he did notice Flynn's passive behavior.

"C'mon, cheer up, man! What're you so quiet for?" he said.

"Oh, sorry about that Captain. I'm just…tired, that's all" he answered scratching his hair and smiling.

"Listen, kid. Don't worry about last night. You succeeded in doing something and that was finding the clue to our destination. Dahngrest, remember?"

"Oh" Flynn said only just realizing the value of his actions last night.

"Flynn, explain to the captain what you learned about Dahngrest from your assigned readings" Lt. Sodia ordered as she began eating her slice of sprinkled strawberry and vanilla cream cake as well as taking a glass of tangerine blast.

"Yes, Lieutenant" Flynn said dutifully.

"Dahngrest is a city of capitalist guilds whose priorities emphasize competition among themselves, taking up and successfully completing assignments from contractors. Each of the guilds' ultimate goal is becoming the largest and wealthiest force. Obtaining power and money are their only concerns and as such, a guild will probably not gather in communal solidarity and work together with others unless it leads to elevation and privilege for that guild. Meanwhile, the concerns of the poor on the streets of Dahngrest are unfortunately left untaken care of. On purpose" explained Flynn confidently like a textbook after thinking for a few moments about what he had learned in class.

"Very good, well said, Comrade Flynn" the captain said approvingly.

The three finished their sufficiently satisfying meal and thanked the townspeople for their thoughtfulness and effort. Now refreshed and energized, Flynn, Schwann, and Sodia left Halure to reach Dahngrest to find answers to their questions regarding the suspects and Commissar Alexei's assassination attempt.

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

On their way to Dahngrest, the three would have to stop at Nor Harbor, a major port city along the western edge of the continent and from there, they would have to make a short trip across the sea to reach Capua Torim, another port city on the eastern edge of the neighboring continent. Both cities were important to the country for its seafood industries and transportation of goods from one continent to the other.

The three were surprised to see that Nor Harbor was such a cloudy and rainy place, devoid of sunlight. It suddenly made them nostalgic of Halure's blossomed bliss.

"I didn't know it was so bleak looking here" Flynn said as the three walked into the town center.

They saw the people of Nor Harbor looking blue. Children didn't play outside and instead walked around, as if on business. Few bothered to go to the market and see what was on sale, despite the availability of basic necessities like water or bread or fruit. Capt. Schwann, feeling thirsty, headed to a stand selling juice.

"Hi, I'll take the pineapple orange mix" he said to the vendor, not sure why the prices of the bottles weren't listed.

"Sure, of course" the vendor said, smiling, but cautiously. "…seven gald, please…" he said, after swallowing his throat.

"W-What?! That's outrageous!"

"I'm sorry, but we're going through such hard times. The taxes we get are so much and we businessmen have a difficult time getting by"

The captain was shocked to hear such words as 'taxes' and 'businessmen'.

"What? Taxes? Businessmen? What's going on here? Explain" Schwann demanded to know.

"You see, the mayor of Nor Harbor, he demands that we pay a large percentage of our income in taxes to the city government! Everything, taxes! We don't know what to do!" the vendor explained. "Please, will you buy just one bottle?"

Throughout the country, all citizens enjoyed tax-free lives and had access to free medical care and public education at all compulsory and higher levels. The government also prohibited any clandestine or private businesses operating to make profit individually at the cost of the honest, hardworking public. The only entity that was allowed to meet the people's needs was, well, the government. It ran various industries including those that produced quality consumer goods, abundant crops, and even state-published weekly newspapers containing true, up-to-date information. And fortunately, it was all economically feasible, so people could have a high, healthy standard of living. If it were all up to 'businesses', then individuals would get ideas about price-gouging and abusing employees for cheap labor. Greed would replace virtue. Self would replace the community as a whole. They were evils the People's Republic was created to prevent and fight.

Schwann tried to be understanding of the unfortunate vendor, but still, he knew it in his heart that it was wrong to pay the inflated price when the government's set price was only a single gald.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me, but I can't."

Sodia and Flynn followed after their captain. They were now headed toward the harbor to depart for the next trip to Capua Torim. And when they got there, they saw very few people hanging around. Capt. Schwann went to a booth to get tickets. He showed his identification to the attendee.

"I'm sorry, captain, but the mayor has cancelled public transport to Capua Torim due to an emergency. However, if you really must cross, an exception can be made and for only one-hundred fifty…"

Again, Schwann couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Excuse me, but I happen to be a captain in the Red Guard. You are under obligation to provide my comrades and I passage, free of charge" he said defensively.

And it turned out to be a waste. The attendee said there was nothing he could do about it and the captain wasn't going to pay any undue fee.

And right now, all three of them were tired from their journey walking from Halure. For now, they would go to the inn and rest. They walked back to the town square which was where main activity of Nor Harbor was. They entered the inn and the three of them walked up to the front desk. Again, Captain Schwann showed his identification to the receptionist.

"Luckily, we are vacant, but I'm sorry, captain, you'll still have to pay the fee, just as the mayor ordered. For a single bed, only three-hundred gald, for two, seven-hundred, and for three-"

"I'm getting tired of being treated like some foolish guy who doesn't understand what money's for. We're Red Guards on an assignment ordered by the Communist Party" Schwann boldly stated.

"And where is this mayor of yours? I want to talk to him" he said defiantly.

The receptionist stepped back in amazement of his boldness. "H-he stays at his residence…" she finally answered.

_

Flynn, Sodia, following Schwann, went to the residence of the mayor, cross the bridge from the town center to get there. It was a large, lovely house that was tall. It looked like a small castle and might have looked even more beautiful if the weather was sunnier. It was apparently located by the sea and there were a few boats in back. They were stopped by guards at the front gate.

"Hey, you there! No one goes into the mayor's residence without permission" said one of them, not caring that the visitors were Red Guards in uniform. From the looks of it, the private guards at the residence themselves weren't wearing uniforms and acted as they pleased, appearing to have generally no rank and obviously no file.

"We're Red Guards of the Schwann brigade and I am its commanding officer, Captain Schwann. Let us through."

The private guard spat on the ground.

"I said no one goes into the mayor's residence without permission" the guard said as a matter of factly in a rude way.

The captain stared at the fools standing by the gate before turning to Flynn and Sodia.

"Come on, we're leaving."

Schwann led them away and over to the bushes where it was a safe, but still fairly close distance from the main gate. They kneeled down as the captain observed.

"Okay, listen you two" he began. "I'm gonna toss rocks at those goons' heads and knock'em out. We'll all enter and find a way to sneak inside. I'm dying to have a chat with this mayor and get some answers."

"But Capt. Schwann, don't we have orders to only identify and arrest the would-be assassins?" Flynn asked.

"You're right, but have a duty to the public here as Red Guards. The mayor must explain himself and we'll see if he should be punished. Now, let's move."

Capt. Schwann tossed two rocks at the guards' heads. The two were knocked out cold.

"I'll look after the dock" the captain said. "You go sneak inside."

Knowing it was better to take the lift from the side of the residence rather than barge through the front door where they knew they would be spotted and attacked, Sodia and Flynn went down.

It was not long before the somewhat foul scent of the air filled their nostrils.

"…Hello there!..." said a voice. It was relieved.

Sodia and Flynn saw a man in his mid-twenties respectably well dressed. He had neck-length whose color was blonde like Flynn's.

"Who are you?" Sodia asked.

"I'm so glad to see you" the man began. "My name is Ioder. I've been trapped here for a while now. Please help me get of here!"

Right away, Sodia and Flynn crossed their arms over their chests and bowed. Standing before them was the Governor of the State Bank.

"It's an honor, Comrade Governor" they both said.

_To be continued..._


End file.
